


Poof's Story

by Balloon (themanintheplanet)



Category: Dream Cycle - H. P. Lovecraft, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themanintheplanet/pseuds/Balloon
Summary: The tale of Poof the Drifblim, protector of dreams.





	Poof's Story

Have you ever looked, _really_ looked, at the balloons you see every day?  The deflated red foil balloon sagging from a sign advertising a yard sale that happened two weeks ago. . . the yellow latex balloon racing up into the sky after its string slipped from the hand of a child leaving a birthday party. . . that one runaway army blimp. . . .  Balloons are everywhere.  _Everywhere._

And they see everything.

 _Everything_.

News travels fast among them.  They communicate with the squeak of rubber skin, the crinkle of mylar, and the rustle of curling ribbon strings.  Find a bunch of party balloons tied together, and chances are they’ll be gossiping, squeaking and squealing at the slightest touch of a breeze.  Even hot air balloons tell the news to one another with the blasts of their burners, light and heat and sound that travels a surprisingly great distance across the skies.

What sort of news does a balloon have to tell?  Dire warnings of the impending helium shortage, perhaps, or rumors that soon great Amazon blimps will fill the skies.  While any news affecting balloons in the waking world is important, of course, most balloons’ greatest concerns deal with the Dreamlands, the realm where humans go when they dream. . . and balloons go when they pop.  For balloons are the guardians of sweet dreams, bringing joy to the young and young-at-heart as they sleep, just as a bright, cheerful balloon brings joy in the waking world.

So when you hear two balloons conversing in squeaks and rustles, they very likely are sharing the latest news from the Dreamlands.  Quite possibly, the chatty balloons are gushing over the latest exploits of the dream realm’s elite guardians and their leader. . . the most celebrated balloon ever to drift his way through the sky.  Brave and kind, defender of innocents and devourer of donuts, he is the one whose name is whispered by airships and zeppelins, barrage balloons and party balloons.  They speak this name with the utmost reverence:

 _Poof_.

Poof the Drifblim.

* * *

**The Sinnoh Years**

Poof began life as a rather ordinary Drifloon.  He was hatched to loving parents—a Drifblim and a Cofagrigus—near Floaroma Town in the Sinnoh region.  His sister Puff, a shiny Drifloon and Poof’s first best friend, joined their little family a year later.  As the more outgoing of the two, Poof spent much of his Floonhood out playing and exploring, while Puff preferred to stay close to home and drift in the Floaroma Meadow.

By the time he reached adolescence, Poof was ready to see the world beyond his region—and most of all, he was ready to evolve into a Drifblim!  With his parents’ blessing (although of course his mother worried!), Poof joined a rescue team organization; there, he hoped to help out other Pokémon while at the same time getting to see the world and gaining experience to help him on his way to evolving.  Poof soon became best friends with his teammate Schreber, a young and shy Sigilyph.

Working together, Poof and Schreber completed many rescue missions, and they met a third teammate along the way: a scruffy, grouchy Sigilyph named Damane.  Despite his attitude, Damane proved to be a good friend until the rescue organization disbanded, and the teammates parted ways.  Damane returned to his desert home, but Schreber decided to accompany Poof back to Floaroma.  On the way, Poof’s dream came true: he evolved and became a Drifblim!

* * *

**The Dream War**

Back at home, Poof found that his sister Puff had evolved too.  His family welcomed Schreber, and for a while, Poof felt content with his quiet life.  But soon he began to yearn for adventure again, and it found him in the form of a mysterious Cresselia.  One day while out with Puff and Schreber, Poof found a Cresselia feather, and that night, its owner came to him in a dream.  She took Poof to the Dreamlands, a realm that most beings could only access in their dreams.  There, the Cresselia showed him a Darkrai determined to conquer the beautiful floating city of Serannian where sweet dreams are made.  The Cresselia begged Poof to come help her fight the Darkrai.

When Poof awoke the next morning, he felt he had to protect Serannian from the Darkrai’s nightmares.  After he told Puff and Schreber about his dream, they agreed to help too even though they were both timid Pokémon.  That night, the three Pokémon used the Cresselia’s feather to summon her, and she carried them all to the Dreamlands.

In the realm of dreams, Poof and his friends met the other guardians the Cresselia had gathered: four other balloon creatures. . . and their old friend, Damane the Sigilyph.  The eight brave beings formed a team called the Just Balloons, and they traveled up to Serannian, the sunset city where the sea meets the sky.  Together, the Just Balloons fought many difficult, painful battles against the Darkrai, and they discovered his true identity: he was Nyarlathotep, the deity of chaos who wanted to over through Serannian's king, Kuranes, and take over the city for himself.

The Just Balloons did their best and conquered many hurdles, but in the end, Nyarlathotep was far too powerful for them to stop.  Just before their final confrontation, the Cresselia appeared to Poof and gave him a gift: a lovely staff topped with a purple balloon.  She told him that this staff would magnify the goodness in Poof’s heart to protect him and his friends.

The Just Balloons faced Nyarlathotep as he cast the final blow to Serannian, engulfing it in his crawling mist that destroyed everything it touched.  Clutching his staff, Poof drifted out in front of the Just Balloons, praying that he could absorb Nyarlathotep’s attack and save his beloved friends from annihilation.  In response to Poof’s selfless desire, the staff shielded Poof and the others from harm. . . but Nyarlathotep’s power razed Serannian to the ground.  The floating island lay barren and devoid of life beneath the floating Just Balloons.

Puff and Schreber began to weep for the beautiful city and all its lost inhabitants.  Damane raged and hurled curses at Nyarlathotep, but neither sorrow nor anger could reverse what his chaos had done.  But Poof felt something reaching him through the magical staff he held: the power of the dreams which had built Serannian in the first place.  Poof called out to all the dreamers of the omniverse and asked them to lend him their sweet dreams.  Soon the other Just Balloons were echoing his cry, and everyone who slept throughout the omniverse heard them.  All their dreams were absorbed by the magical staff, and it refracted their creative power out over Serannian.  As Nyarlathotep howled his frustration, the floating city reformed itself, even more beautiful than before.  Wishing hearts everywhere dreamed Serannian and its inhabitants back to life, and Nyarlathotep fled, realizing that he could never conquer the Dreamlands as long as the omniverse’s dreamers kept hope alive.

* * *

**The Ever After**

The mysterious Cresselia gave the Just Balloons a choice: they could return to their homes or stay there in Serannian to serve as guardians to the city and King Kuranes.  Poof, Puff, and Schreber all chose to stay, and they bid farewell to Damane, who promised to return should they ever need his help.  At Poof and Puff’s request, the Cresselia brought their parents to live in Serannian as well.  Yet the Cresselia claimed she had no part in bringing the _other_ balloons there, the balloons who began appearing in the Dreamlands after they popped in the waking world.  Perhaps it is the power of the staff Poof still carries, or perhaps it is merely the strength of the balloons’ wishing hearts and their desire to protect everyone’s sweet dreams.

In the years following the Dream War, Poof’s family realized that he was no longer the carefree, somewhat naïve young Drifblim he had once been.  Perhaps more than any of the other Just Balloons, Poof had suffered disillusionment from the darkness Nyarlathotep showed them.  However, even though Poof has periods of depression and sorrow, his experiences have matured him and strengthened his loving heart.

Poof takes more pleasure now in simple things: munching donuts and drinking his favorite cola; spending quiet mornings with Puff, Schreber, and his other friends in the meadows surrounding Serannian; looking out over the sea toward the rest of the Dreamlands.  He no longer yearns for travel and adventure.  Poof has found happiness at home.

He still carries the balloon-tipped staff, and he keeps a watchful red eye on Serannian in case Nyarlathotep—or any other enemy—should return.  And in the waking world, balloons still whisper the name of Poof with awe and respect, and as they gossip, they look forward to the day when they will join him in the sunset city where the sea meets the sky, and where sweet dreams reign.


End file.
